Four-Down Duel: Cutler over Rodgers?

Kevin has worked for Rotowire just under a decade and has covered basketball, baseball and football. A glutton for punishment, he roots for his hometown Bills, Sabres and the New York Yankees. He hosts the RotoWire SiriusXM show every Wednesday and Friday and you can follow him on Twitter @KCPayne26.

With Week 1 in the books, it’s now a little clearer what roles players will be filling. There were some surprises, especially at wide receiver, and with the scoring on Fanduel being .5 PPR, wideouts could be relevant going forward. The rookies made some noise, too, with players like Robert Griffin III exploding on the scene. Just realize that with first-year players usually comes inconsistency. Here’s a look at some value plays for Week 2:

Quarterback

Jay Cutler, CHI, $7200 – The highest over/under for Week 2 right now is the Bears/Packers game with a mark of 51.5. Obviously it looks like this game is going to be a shootout and you can take Cutler who is $2600 cheaper than Aaron Rodgers. Cutler had a big game versus the Colts with 333 passing yards and two touchdowns. He has a legit No.1 wide receiver in Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery showed off his speed getting behind both the corner and safety for a 42-yard touchdown catch.

Running Back

Alfred Morris, WAS, $5500 – There’s a lot of debate among fantasy scribes as to what Morris’ future will bring. It seems that everyone is split as to whether Morris can be main back for the next 16 weeks in Washington. Will coach Mike Shanahan stick with Morris, or will Shanahan turn to Roy Helu or Evan Royster at some point? The fact is right now the job is Morris’ to lose and he rewarded fantasy owners who gambled with him last week. Morris isn’t a great pass-catcher, which hurts him in any PPR format, but did get 27 carries as the Redskins looked to run the clock out in the second half. Washington called a higher percentage of rushing plays than any other team Sunday which falls in line with what Shanahan has done historically. While the job is Morris’ for now, remember that a fumble or missed block could land him in the doghouse, especially with two viable options waiting in the wings.

C.J. Spiller, BUF, $6600 – One of the most devastating injuries Week 1 was Fred Jackson’s knee injury, which should shelve the running back for at least the next three weeks. That means Spiller will get the bulk of the workload while Jackson is out. Spiller was dynamic after Jackson left the game, racking up a league-high 169 yards on 14 carries. Spiller added two catches for 25 yards and is a threat to go the distance every time he touches the ball.

Wide Receiver

Randall Cobb, GB, $5400 – Cobb caught nine passes for 77 yards against San Francisco on Sunday, working both as a wide receiver and running routes out of the backfield. With Greg Jennings possibly out due to a groin injury, Cobb could see an expanded role for the Packers this week. Aaron Rodgers loves to spread the ball out and Cobb showed off his big-play ability with a 75-yard punt return for a touchdown Sunday.

Andrew Hawkins, CIN, $4500 – Hawkins emerged as the second-most targeted option for the Bengals last week. He finished the game with nine targets that he turned into eight catches for 86 yards. It appears the Bengals are going to make him a big part of the passing game and there aren’t a lot of great receiving options past A.J. Green and Jermaine Gresham. Hawkins and the Bengals will host the Browns this week, who will be without their top corner Joe Haden due to suspension.

Rod Streater, OAK, $4500 – With Jacoby Ford and Denarius Moore battling injuries, Streater got the start Monday night opposite Darrius Heyward-Bey. Streater turned heads in camp during the preseason and scored a touchdown and ensuing two-point conversion against the Chargers. For the game, he was targeted a whopping 10 times and has a good matchup against Miami’s secondary this week. Moore hasn’t been ruled out yet, so only consider Streater if Moore misses the game in South Florida.

Tight End

Greg Olsen, CAR, $5200 – Another game that appears to be shaping up as a high scoring affair is the New Orleans/Carolina game. The New Orleans secondary looked terrible as Robert Griffin III tore them up at will last Sunday. Cam Newton should have success against the Saints which could mean a big day for Olsen. Olsen caught six passes for 56 yards and no longer has to share targets with Jeremy Shockey this season.

Defense

New England, $5200 – New England’s defense looked outstanding last week, holding Chris Johnson to only four yards rushing on 11 attempts. The defense also recorded two sacks and picked off Jake Locker once. This week it’s all about the matchup as the Patriots get the Arizona Cardinals at home for Kevin Kolb’s first start of the season. While Kolb was able to lead a game-winning drive to beat the Seahawks, his play last season doesn’t instill a lot of confidence. New England is a two-touchdown favorite which means Kolb, behind one of the worst offensive lines in the league, should be throwing a lot by playing from behind.

Tip of the Week

When entering tournaments, it’s a good idea to stay away from someone who was good last week and take the pot odds play of using someone coming off a poor week. After the dismantling of the Chiefs (who were without Tamba Hali and Brandon Flowers), look for many tournament entrants to play both Julio Jones and Matt Ryan. If I’m entering a tournament, those are the last two players I’d use since everyone else will be counting on them. Denver has a better defense and secondary than the Chiefs and as a result it’s difficult to think that Ryan and Jones will once again produce big fantasy days. Going with different players – think those who narrowly missed scoring like Santonio Holmes or Brandon Lloyd – who could out produce Jones and at a cheaper cost.

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